Posts Tagged With: packing light

Airline limitations have angered many, requiring passengers to fit all of their essentials into smaller spaces and keep their bags lighter. While a fifty-pound bag seems to be a squeeze for some, it would be enough to store all of minimalist Andrew Hyde’s earthly possessions more than five times over. This is because Hyde, like many minimalists, is finding that possessing only the necessary items actually makes you much more ready for anything.

For two years, Hyde only owned 15 items, allowing him to carry his nine pounds of possessions with him everywhere. After assisting in the startup of several successful tech companies, Hyde spent two years exploring the world, from Thailand to Colombia and everywhere in between, all while traveling light to the extreme.

Even when he boosted his total to a whopping 31 items, Hyde could carry all he owned without inhibiting his ability to move about freely.

“The bag is light enough (about 14 pounds with the iPad included) so I can run (really) around any city with no problem. This has saved many trips going to and from the hostel before I take off on a trip or meal,” Hyde said.

Hyde’s mission to travel lightly is not purely about practicality, but also about the state of mind it allows. “It is very simple living this way. I do laundry a lot, but besides that, that simplicity allows me to think about other things,” Hyde said in an interview with ABCRadio. “Other than the issue of really wanting a new shirt color sometimes, I really am not missing much, but experiencing a lot.”